''Just Say No'' is a 1988 play by American writer

Larry Kramer Laurence David Kramer (June 25, 1935May 27, 2020) was an American playwright, author, film producer, public health advocate, and gay rights activist. He began his career rewriting scripts while working for Columbia Pictures, which led him to Lo ...

. It attacks the

Ronald Reagan administration Ronald is a masculine given name derived from the Old Norse ''Rögnvaldr'', Hanks; Hardcastle; Hodges (2006) p. 234; Hanks; Hodges (2003) § Ronald. or possibly from Old English '' Regenweald''. In some cases ''Ronald'' is an Anglicised form of ...

and the Mayor of New York,

Ed Koch Edward Irving Koch ( ; December 12, 1924February 1, 2013) was an American politician. He served in the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1977 and was mayor of New York City from 1978 to 1989. Koch was a lifelong Democrat who ...

, over what Kramer saw as their hypocrisy and inertia in responding to the

AIDS epidemic The global pandemic of HIV/AIDS (human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) began in 1981, and is an ongoing worldwide public health issue. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), by 2023, HIV/AIDS ...

. It was less successful than Kramer's previous play, ''

The Normal Heart ''The Normal Heart'' is a largely autobiographical play by Larry Kramer. It focuses on the rise of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in New York City between 1981 and 1984, as seen through the eyes of writer/activist Ned Weeks, the gay founder of a promi ...

'', possibly due to its sharply political tone.

Productions

In nineteen years there have only been three major productions of ''Just Say No'' - in New York at the WPA in 1988, in Chicago at the Bailiwick Theatre in 1999 and in Los Angeles at Theatre of Note in 2007. The play ran

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

at the WPA Theatre from October 4, 1988 to November 6, 1988. Directed by David Esbjornson, the cast included

Kathleen Chalfant Kathleen Ann Chalfant (née Bishop) is an American actress. She has appeared in many stage plays, both on Broadway and Off-Broadway, as well as making guest appearances on television series, including the ''Law & Order'' franchise. Early life C ...

, David Margulies,

Tonya Pinkins Tonya Pinkins is an American actress and filmmaker. Her award-winning debut feature film ''Red Pill'' was an official selection at the 2021 Pan African Film Festival, won the Best Black Lives Matter Feature and Best First Feature at The Mykonos ...

, Joseph Ragno, Keith Reddin, Richard Riehle, Richard Topol and

Julie White Julie K. White (born June 4, 1961) is an American actress. She won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for her performance in '' The Little Dog Laughed'' in 2007. She has also received three other Tony Award nominations for her performan ...

. The play was part of the Bailiwick Theatre, Chicago annual festival "PRIDE". It was presented from May 21, 1999 to July 4, starring

Greg Louganis Gregory Efthimios Louganis (; born January 29, 1960) is an American Olympic Diving (sport), diver who won gold medals at the 1984 Summer Olympics, 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympics on the springboard and platform. He is the only man and the second ...

and

Alexandra Billings Alexandra Scott Billings (born March 28, 1962) is an American actress, singer, and teacher. A trans woman, Billings played one of TV's first openly transgender characters in the 2005 film '' Romy and Michele: In the Beginning''. She is also know ...

. The play was produced by Theatre of Note, Hollywood, California in February 2007, directed by Trevor Bishop.Nichols, David C
"Theater Beat"
''Los Angeles Times'', February 23, 2007

References

External links

''Just Say No'' at Samuel French
Plays by Larry Kramer 1988 plays HIV/AIDS in theatre {{1980s-play-stub